Tag Archives: Rocky Ford Road

Videos: Rezonings, Dogs, Roads, and Subdivisions @ LCC Work Session 2025-10-14

At this morning’s Work Session,
the Lowndes County Commissioners spent the most time on the

Telecommunications Tower
on Rocky Ford Road (5:38)
and on

6.a. Lowndes County Responsible Dog Ownership Ordinance
.

They vote this evening at 5:30 PM (same day due to Monday being a holiday).
Anyone can speak in the two rezoning Public Hearings,


[Collage @ LCC 14 October 2025]


Collage @ LCC 14 October 2025

Commissioner Mike Smith was absent this morning.
Commissioner Joyce Evans is still absent due to illness.

They

ended with an Executive Session
about a potential real estate purchase
and attorney-client privilege about potential litigation.

County Manager Paige Dukes mentioned in her
Reports
that the James Road water main project came out $800,000 under budget.
Those funds can be used for other projects in the vicinity.
She recommended a change order to work on a water main on Old Clyattville Road.
Commissioner Mark Wisenbaker said to proceed.

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item,
with a few notes by Gretchen Quarterman.

See also Continue reading

Packet: Rezonings, Dogs, Roads, and Subdivisions @ LCC 2025-10-13

Update 2025-10-14:
Videos: Rezonings, Dogs, Roads, and Subdivisions @ LCC Work Session 2025-10-14.

The Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval for both rezonings,
but the communications tower rezoning on Rocky Ford Road near Watkins Road
has acquired a petition and a lengthy letter of opposition as it goes
to the Lowndes County Commission.

The commercial rezoning on Stewart Circle does not seem to have any opposition.


[Collage, Packet @ LCC 2025-10-13]


Collage, Packet @ LCC 2025-10-13

The county finally has an agreement to sign with GDOT and CSX about the Old Quitman Highway bridge, which will be paid for and organized by GDOT.

The county thinks it’s ready to sign the Lowndes County Responsible Dog Ownership Ordinance, “Approval of the attached ordinance will eliminate the need for the current citizen review board and move the hearing of these cases to Probate Court.”

There’s a Purchase of Wetland Credits for the Twin Lakes Road Paving Project.

And one of the usual: Acceptance of Infrastructure for The Landings Phase IV, which is 52 lots off of Val Del Road on Landings Circle and Brinlee Way.

Here is the agenda.
The board packet, received in response to a LAKE open records request,
is
on the LAKE website.

See also the

LAKE videos of the preceding meeting
of the Greater Lowndes Planning Commission (GLPC).

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

PROPOSED AGENDA

WORK SESSION, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2025, 8:30 a.m.

REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2025, 5:30 p.m.

327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

Continue reading

Videos: Two Lowndes County Cases, Commercial on Stewart Circle, Tower on Rocky Ford Road

The Stewart Circle commercial rezoning sailed through.
The communications tower on Rocky Ford Road
had three people speaking for it (mostly about need for cell coverage),
and several against, for a variety of reasons,
as well as a petition against delivered at the meeting.
GLPC recommended approval of both.

The Greater Lowndes Planning Commission (GLPC) recommends.
The final decision will be by the Lowndes County Commission on Tuesday, October 14, 2025, at 5:30 PM.

In Other Business, it was revealed that
there will be a presentation about the update to the Comprehensive Plan at the next GLPC WORK session.
(Not the Regular Session; the Work Session the week before.)


[Collage @ GLPC 29 September 2025]


Collage @ GLPC 29 September 2025

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item,
with a few notes by Gretchen Quarterman,
followed by a LAKE video playlist.

See also the Continue reading

Packet: Two Lowndes County Cases, Commercial on Stewart Circle, Tower on Rocky Ford Road @ GLPC 2025-09-29

Update 2025-10-05:
Videos: Two Lowndes County Cases, Commercial on Stewart Circle, Tower on Rocky Ford Road @ GLPC 2025-09-29.

It might be a brief meeting Monday,
at the Greater Lowndes Planning Commission (GLPC).

There are only two cases, both for Lowndes County:
one for a commercial operation on Stewart Circle,
and the other for a communications tower on Rocky Ford Road.

You may need a time machine to see the Lowndes County Commission decide,
since the meeting date listed for that is in 2024.


[Collage, GLPC Packet, 2025-09-29]


Collage, GLPC Packet, 2025-09-29

Here is the
agenda.

The board packet, received in response to a LAKE open records request,
is

on the LAKE website
.

Images of each page are below.


Greater Lowndes Planning Commission


~ Lowndes County ~ City of Valdosta ~ City of Dasher ~

~ City of Hahira ~ City of Lake Park ~ City of Remerton ~

Monday, September 29, 2025 5:30 P.M. Regular Session

Lowndes County South Health District Administrative Office

325 West Savannah Avenue, Valdosta, Georgia

Continue reading

Miller Bridge Road subdivision withdrawn, Rocky Ford denied, Tourism reappointed @ LCC 2021-12-14

Update 2022-01-22: Miller Bridge Rezoning back as R-A @ GLPC 2022-01-31.

Update 2022-01-09: Cancelled: Lowndes County Commission Meetings 2022-01-10, so expect the contentious Miller Bridge Road subdivision that was withdrawn last time to be back with larger lot sizes at the January 24 and 25 Commission meetings.

The contentious Miller Bridge Road Rezoning was withdrawn from the December Lowndes County Commission meeting,
but the withdrawal letter said it would be back, possibly in January.

The Rocky Ford rezoning from industrial to residential did not pass;
although Commissioner Clay Griner voted against and Scottie Orenstein abstained, the other three voted to deny.

They reappointed the incumbent, Rick Williams, to the Valdosta-Lowndes County Conference Center and Tourism Authority, even though Commissioners Demarcus Marshall and Joyce Evans voted for Nick Harden (who did attend the meeting).

Most everything else sailed through.
The meeting was very long anyway, because there was only one December Commission meeting, so everything got lumped into one.

[Two rezonings that did not pass]

Two rezonings that did not pass

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item, followed by a LAKE video playlist.
See
the LAKE videos of the preceding morning’s Work Session
and
the agenda and board packet,
received in response to a LAKE open records request.
Two of them, actually, the second request was to get the petition from hundreds of opposing landowners.

See also the preceding Planning Commission
agenda,
the LAKE videos, and the
meeting materials, received in response to LAKE open records requests.

Update 2022-01-03:

Withdrawn but will return: subdivision in aquifer recharge zone near Little River, Lowndes County, GA @ LCC 2021-12-14
.

Videos: Six rezonings, Tourism Authority appointment, LMIG, Calendar, ULDC, VOCA, VAWA, Opioid, Land Bank Authority, Fire Dept. @ LCC 2021-12-13

Update 2022-01-01:

Miller Bridge Road subdivision withdrawn, Rocky Ford denied, Tourism reappointed @ LCC 2021-12-14

Turns out there was a petition that the County Planner “just took … out of this packet for now”, for
REZ-2021-28 Windy Hill S/D, 7532 Miller Bridge Road, ~34 acres, E-A to R-1, Community Well & Septic.
(WITHDRAWN).

We know this because Commissioner Demarcus Marshall asked.
(See 6m:15s).
That petition was not returned for the LAKE open records request for the board packet for this County Commission meeting.

County Planner JD Dillard said the petition had been presented to the Planning Commission.
The petition also was not returned in response to the LAKE open records request for the Planning Commission packet, even though that response arrived several days after the Planning Commission meeting.

County Chairman Bill Slaughter said they could get that information to the Commissioners before their next meeting.
I’m not sure that’s what the Georgia Open Records Act says.

Update 2021-12-27:
Here is the petition, received in response to another LAKE open records request.
Looks like the county redacted the email addresses.


Lowndes County Planner JD Dillard


County Planner JD Dillard

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item, followed by a LAKE video playlist.
Apologies for the very long first video; turns out the county sound feed was not working, so Gretchen had to go back and patch in county sound from another source.
See also Continue reading

Packet: Four big + 2 small county rezonings, four Valdosta rezonings, 3 of them CUP @ GLPC 2021-11-29

2023-12-14: Videos: Six rezonings, Tourism Authority appointment, LMIG, Calendar, ULDC, VOCA, VAWA, Opioid, Land Bank Authority, Fire Dept. @ LCC 2021-12-13

The entire board packet for the November 2021 Greater Lowndes Planning Commission meeting is
on the LAKE website now,
received in response to a LAKE open records request.

[Rezonings with LAKE logo]

Rezonings with LAKE logo

For the six county rezonings, there is more in the board packet for the
Lowndes County Commission December meetings.

See also Continue reading

Six rezonings, Tourism Authority appointment, LMIG, Calendar, ULDC, VOCA, VAWA, Opioid, Land Bank Authority, Fire Dept. @ LCC 2021-12-13

Withdrawn as R-1 (1-acre lots) from tomorrow’s Lowndes County Commission agenda,
but to be resubmitted as R-A (2.5-acre lots):

REZ-2021-28 Windy Hill S/D, 7532 Miller Bridge Road, ~34 acres, E-A to R-1, Community Well & Septic (WITHDRAWN).

At the Planning Commission meeting end of November, staff said it did not match the Comprehensive Plan, and the Planning Commission
unanimously recommended denial.

[Rezonings]

Rezonings

However, Planning Commissioner Franklin Bailey said, as he made the motion to disapprove,
that he would be comfortable with 2.5-acre lots instead of 1-acre lots.
The developer took him up on that idea with a written letter to the County Planner saying they would be back in January to ask for R-A rezoning, which will permit 2.5-acre lots.

Plus staff has dug up a 1999 rezoning nearby for 3-acre lots which could serve as a precedent.
Yet almost none of those 3-acre lots have sold in the past two decades,
so why is there any need for any more such lots
“very deep in the Rural Service Area”?

That withdrawal letter says: Continue reading

An inappropriate rezoning unanimously opposed, but beware return with different acreage @ GLPC 2021-11-29

Update 2021-12-12:
Packet: Four big + 2 small county rezonings, four Valdosta rezonings, 3 of them CUP @ GLPC 2021-11-29.

The Greater Lowndes Planning Commission unanimously recommended denial of rezoning for
a rezoning on Miller Bridge Road,
outside any appropriate character area,
but one of them frequently suggested trying 2.5-acre lots instead of 1-acre lots.

Another subdivision, on

Rocky Ford Road
, which was opposed by the Development Authority,
got a split recommendation for denial, with that same Commissioner abstaining.

All the other items got unanimous approval.

One of the rezonings

was actually to agricultural so the owner can farm it
.

[Two rezonings recommended against]

Two rezonings recommended against

The owners spoke for
REZ-2021-28 on Miller Bridge Road,
with the usual insistence that everybody wants to live in the north part of the county and you just can’t stop growth and sprawl. Continue reading

Four big + 2 small county rezonings, four Valdosta rezonings, 3 of them CUP @ GLPC 2021-11-29

Update 2021-12-01: Videos:
An inappropriate rezoning unanimously opposed, but beware return with different acreage @ GLPC 2021-11-29

There’s been alarm in the northwest part of Lowndes County for a month about the 34-acre
Miller Bridge Road rezoning.
And there are three more big rezonings on the agenda tonight for the Greater Lowndes Planning Commission,
on
Rocky Ford Road,
Val Tech Road,
and
Seminole Drive.

Those are Lowndes County cases, plus two more small rezonings.

The four Valdosta cases include one

“CUP for very high density MultiFamily residential in C-C zoning”

on West Hill Avenue,
which sounds like a better idea than more sprawl out into the county.

[Four big rezonings]

Four big rezonings

Below is
the agenda
plus some maps from the Lowndes County Tax Assessors.

Greater Lowndes Planning Commission

~ Lowndes County ~ City of Valdosta ~ City of Dasher ~

~ City of Hahira ~ City of Lake Park ~ City of Remerton ~

Monday, November 22, 2021 5:30 P.M. Work Session

Monday, November 29, 2021 5:30 P.M. Regular Session

Lowndes County South Health District Administrative Office

325 West Savannah Avenue, Valdosta, Georgia

Continue reading